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Botanical Name: Azadirachta indica
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Common Name: Neem, Margosa, Indian Lilac
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Family: Meliaceae
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Cultivars: Azadirachta indica, Azadirachta juss var siamensis
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Origin: S & SE-Asia
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Distribution: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia
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Habitat: Drought resistant tree growing in arid conditions, grows from plains up to an
elevation of 1850 m MSL
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Habit: Evergreen tree growing up to a height of about 15-20 m, sometimes even up to
35-40 m tall, with roundish canopy spreading to a span of 15-20 m
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Duration: Perennial
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Leaf: Alternate and pinnately compound leaves with dark green leaflets; apical leaflet is
often lacking; young leaflets are reddish to purplish
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Flower: White sweet scented tiny flowers borne in panicles; panicle consists of
polygamous & protandrous flowers (bisexual flowers and male flowers on the same
inflorescence)
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Flowering Season: February - May
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Fruit: Indehiscent drupe of golden yellow colour
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Sunlight: Sunlight plant, seedling are required to be grown in partial shade if conditions
are too hot
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Water Requirement: Low, drought resistant tree
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Soil Texture: Well drained deep sandy soils; also grows in shallow stony, laterites, clays,
marginal soils, etc.
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Soil pH: 6.2 to 7.0
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Salinity Tolerance: Good
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Propagation: Seed, air layering, cuttings, grafting and tissue culture. Fresh seeds show
high germination percentage.
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Organic Farming: Roots and shoots of seedlings should be pruned before transplanting.
Bare-rooted seedlings can also be prepared for stump planting. Neem responds well to
coppicing and pollarding to produce poles, posts, or fuelwood.
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Economic Part: Leaf, flower, seed, bark
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Crop Yield: Fuelwood production ranges from 6-57 m3/ha/year; 20.06 g/l biomass and
0.082 g/l of azadirachtin
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Chemistry: Nimbin, nimbinin, and nimbidin, b-sitosterol. azadirachtin, meliantriol,
margosic acid, margosin, etc.
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Caution: Alcohol based neem extract while using caution should be taken to avoid open
sores or wounds as it will lead to burning sensation
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